Carthage carnage: Tcherniakov's Trojans flops at the Bastille

By Mark Pullinger, 26 January 2019

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“We are back in the world of Tcherniakov's dismal Carmen”

Reviewed at Opéra national de Paris: Opéra Bastille, Paris on 25 January 2019

Berlioz, Les Troyens (The Trojans)

Opéra national de Paris

Philippe Jordan, Conductor

Dmitri Tcherniakov, Director, Set Designer

Elena Zaytseva, Costume Designer

Stéphanie d'Oustrac, Cassandre, Ghost of Cassandre

Michèle Losier, Ascagne

Véronique Gens, Hecuba

Brandon Jovanovich, Énée

Stéphane Degout, Chorèbe, Ghost of Chorèbe

Christian Helmer, Panthée

Thomas Dear, Ghost of Hector

Paata Burchuladze, Priam

Jean-François Marras, Helenus

Ekaterina Semenchuk, Didon

Aude Extrémo, Anna

Cyrille Dubois, Iopas

Bror Magnus Tødenes, Hylas

Christian Van Horn, Narbal

Bernard Arrieta, Mercure

Chœurs de l'Opéra national de Paris

Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris

Pomp meets ping-pong: Nixon in China lands again in Paris

David Karlin, 14th March

Excellent vocal acting from Thomas Hampson, Renée Fleming, Xiaomeng Zhang and a magnificent orchestral performance conducted by Kent Nagano can't make Valentina Carrasco's production fully grip.

***11

Thomas Adès’ high-flying Exterminating Angel in Paris

Erwan Gentric, 29th February

The French premiere of the British composer's opera will be the undisputed high point of the Grande Boutique's season: a perfect confluence of music, staging and cast.

*****

Shock and awe in Paris with Bernstein's A Quiet Place

David Karlin, 9th March

In the expert hands of both director Warlikowski and conductor Kent Nagano, the sequel to Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti proves to be even darker and more dramatic.

*****

A long road to nowhere for Igor at the Bastille

Mark Pullinger, 1st December

Barrie Kosky's makes a limited impact in his debut at Opéra de Paris, apart from an hallucinogenic Polovtsian Dances.

***11

Les Indes galantes: with Alarcón, Rameau conquers the Bastille

Philippe Ramin, 28th September

The new production of Les Indes galantes at Opéra Bastille is exceptional, from the vocal cast to the choreography by Bintou Dembélé. But the stand-out performance of the evening comes from conductor Leonardo Garcia Alarcón.

*****

Don Giovanni according to Ivo van Hove: a puritan despite himself?

Pierre Liscia-Beaurenaut, 16th June

Don Giovanni returns to the Palais Garnier. The production by Ivo van Hove lacks energy but is wonderfully served by a cast of great young talents.

***11

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.